Of Prongs and Princes
by Sketty24
Summary: Secrets tend to be revealed in the most disastrous way imaginable. So how is a werewolf curse and a strange alias going to affect the Marauders? Obviously in every way possible. Lily is a clever witch, but for once, does she know too much?
1. Homework Dilemma

If you ever keep an eye on my profile, you'll know this one has been planned for a while! Really eager to make a go of Marauder Era stuff, and after all the goodies revealed in HBP, I can't help myself! So, please enjoy this new story, and review! The first chapter is short (normally over double this length!) just to see if people out there like it!

**- CHAPTER ONE -**

**Homework Dilemma**

The fire in the empty Gryffindor common room crackled loudly as the dancing flames licked at the top of the stone hollow. The orange light glowed across the hearthrug, sending flickering shadows at the sides of the large plush armchairs besides the fire. In one of the armchairs was sat a young male, with his legs up across one of the arms, and his back leaning on the other. In his lap was a sheet of parchment held against the cover of a hardback book. With an open inkpot sat on the table besides him, he quickly scribbled away using his long eagle feather quill.

Pausing his writing, the boy sighed, raising his free hand to run his fingers through thick unruly hair of black. He leant forward, dipping his quill into the inkpot again, before writing another sentence. He paused once more and leant back with an irritated groan, rubbing his eyes behind his glasses tiredly.

"James? What are you doing?" came a voice, and from behind the armchair walked another Gryffindor student. He walked with a casual gait, tall and undeniably handsome, with black hair that swung in mischievous grey eyes with an idle elegance. He strolled across the hearthrug and heavily dropped into the chair opposite James. He leant back in a relaxed manner, pulling one leg up onto the cushion beneath his form.

James answered very simply, "Potions," and looked back down at his parchment.

"Oh, I haven't done that," replied the boy unconcernedly, picking at the arm of the chair.

"Sirius! It's due tomorrow! Professor Slughorn will do his nut if you don't hand it in for the FIFTH week in a row."

"James, shut up. You're starting to sound like Remus."

"I hope that's not an insult," came a third voice, and Sirius looked round to see Remus Lupin stood on the staircase leading to the boys dormitory. He was wearing a dark navy dressing gown and an amused smile on his face. He completed the last few steps down the staircase and headed over to the fireside. He looked down curiously at the parchment in James' lap. He made a quiet sigh and straightened, shaking light brown hair out of his eyes. "That's Professor Slughorn's Confusing Concoction essay," he commented airily. He rested his hands behind his back and raised an eyebrow at James.

"Yeah?" pressed James curiously, leaning his head back to look up, pushing his glasses up his nose. "It's confusing, alright," he muttered quietly to himself as he looked back down at it.

"It's in first thing," continued Remus with a slight inclination of his head to the clock on the wall, "And it is 1.30 in the morning."

Sirius grinned and James groaned quietly, "I know, but I need to do this!"

"Fifth years and over are supposed to be in bed for 10.30," Remus informed, continuing to nod his head.

Sirius couldn't help but roll his eyes, "Remus, what are you going to do, dock house points? Just let him get on with it if he really wants to."

"I can't authorise you both staying up any longer," said Remus anxiously, his Prefect badge glinting as it sat pinned on the lapel of his dressing gown. He leant over James, pointing at the essay, "Look, you only have the conclusion to do, do that over breakfast. If you get stuck you can look at mine." Remus looked across to Sirius who was flicking piece of screwed up parchment into the fireplace, "Do you want any help on yours, Sirius?"

"Nope," said Sirius gently as he then pushed to his feet with a languid stretch, "I'm fine. I'll not be the only one to hand it in anyway, I bet Peter hasn't done it."

"Actually, he has," cut in Remus swiftly, "He asked me for some assistance on his conclusion earlier this week and has had it done for a number of days now."

Sirius scowled quietly as he turned from the armchair and stomped towards the staircase moodily, "Fine! I'll be the only one again! Better start winning us some more house points, _prefect, _because it looks like I'll be losing us some more tomorrow!"

James sighed quietly as he watched one of his best friends quickly leave. Pushing himself off the armchair, he rose to his feet besides Remus, gathering his books and stationary, "Thanks," he said quietly, "I don't think I could have stayed up any longer. I think I wrote 'memory misplacement' four times in a row before realising."

"Well don't go competing for length," said Remus quietly as he passed James to head upstairs, "Lily Evans has written two feet more than required on it."

"Yeah well," muttered James quietly as he followed Remus up the staircase, "Lily _would _wouldn't she? She's Slughorn's favourite."

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Next chapter you'll see Lily, Slughorn, Peter and Snape, so please review to make that update speedier!


	2. Slughorn's Favourite

**- CHAPTER TWO -**

**Slughorn's Favourite**

"Settle down, settle down," called Professor Slughorn jovially over the chatter of voices as he entered the dungeon. He headed towards his desk at the front of the class, his long scarlet cloak swishing gently behind him. He turned, beaming at the glass beneath the greying walrus moustache, "Righto, class. Before I forget, your Confusing Concoction essays are in today!" A general groan sounded from the class, who had clearly hoped Slughorn have might conveniently forgotten about the homework. "Come on now!" called Slughorn above the groaning, "There's going to be no homework this lesson – " the class, as one, quickly brightened with a few cheers coming from the back row. "Thank you, Sirius, James," said Slughorn quietly with an amused smile.

Slughorn walked down the middle of one of the aisles, gathering parchments from the students as they handed them to him. Some received jubilant winks as he swept by, boyish face gleaming. As he came along the back row, he stopped when Sirius had nothing to give. Sirius quickly intervened, smiling and speaking with absolute charm, "Sorry, sir – it must have slipped my mind."

And Slughorn shook his head, laughing genially, "It's alright, Sirius. As long as you get it in for next lesson. We don't want to send a letter home to the Blacks, now do we?"

"Of course not, sir." His smile twitched slowly.

"Good lad." Slughorn strode off down the last aisle, heading back to the front of the class. As he reached the front, he turned slowly, peering at the class for a moment. "Where's Miss. Evans?"

The door of the dungeon was suddenly thrown upon, and a very flustered looking girl stumbled in, heaving a large shoulder bag and holding books against her chest with an arm. She swept long locks of gleaming dark auburn out of her face, unsurely looking around the room. "Professor Slughorn! I'm sorry I'm late!" She quickly hurried over to him, handing out a thick wad of parchment.

Slughorn chuckled boyishly, bouncing on the balls of his feet merrily, "Not at all, Lily, I was worried you weren't going to turn up." He leant in and added in undertone, "What's a Potion's lesson without my favourite little brewer, hm?" He pulled back with a smile, accepting her essay with a pleased nod.

Lily turned, looking at the full class, which watched her closely as she seeked out a seat. There were only two - one besides a Slytherin whom she'd never spoken to and one on the end of the back row besides four other Gryffindor students, typically a troublesome bunch. Especially Potter and Black. She glanced back to the Slytherin student, whose gaze had rose to meet hers. He shook lanky locks of blank from his face, giving her a dark look, one clearly unwelcoming. Lily quickly moved her eyes from him, making her way to take a seat at the back of the class. She dropped her bag and books on the desk, seating herself upon the stool by Remus Lupin.

"Right then!" called Slughorn, once more causing the murmurs of the class to settle. "Today we are starting on a potion called Draught of Living Death – not as scary as it sounds. Turn to page ten of Advanced Potion-Making. Firstly, we'll be making some notes on it and on Wednesday's lesson we shall be trying to make it! There are some questions on the board – " he turned, and with a flick of his wand white writing appeared on the blackboard behind his desk, "- use the books to answer them!"

As Slughorn ambled to his seat behind his desk, the noise level of the class rose as students began helping themselves to parchment and quills. On the back row, the reaction was a little delayed; with only Lily writing as she hurriedly answered the first question. Besides her, Remus wasn't far behind. Sirius leant forward slowly, eyeing Lily's work as she wrote.

"Now we've got Lily sat with us, we can copy her notes!"

Lily quickly looked up, giving Sirius a stern glare, "I don't think so," she said coolly.

Sirius lolled his head slowly, giving her a charming smile, "But Potions is easy to you. Come on, Lily, share those brains, hm?"

But Lily looked far from convinced, "No!" she snapped, grabbing her work and bag and quickly rising to her feet. She stomped around the back row, past Peter's end of the table and along the aisle to take the empty seat by the surly Slytherin.

As she sat down, the boy quickly looked up, throwing her a startled and displeased look. His lips curled into an unfriendly grimace as he turned his work away from her, going back to his writing. Lily placed her parchment on the desk, watching the boy gently, "Sorry," she whispered quietly, "But I was getting grief on the back row."

The boy peered back very briefly, as though trying to hide any interest. "Potter?" he asked in undertone as he wrote, eyes quickly fixed on his parchment.

Lily opened her book, flicking through to find the correct page again, "No, Sirius Black."

The boy made a disinterested grunt and did nothing else in response.

Lily leant forth slowly, dipping her quill into the inkpot and quickly writing the rest of her answer for question one.

Behind them, there were some stifled sniggers on the back row and soon after, a screwed up ball of parchment sailed across the classroom and hit the boy on the back of his black, greasy-haired head. He quickly looked round with narrowed eyes, glaring over his hooked nose at the four on the back row. Peter, James and Sirius were all fighting to quieten their laughing whilst Remus was merely sat writing.

"Hey! Snape! You got yourself a _girlfriend_!" Sirius hissed, the boys besides him breaking into loud sniggers of laughter.

"Settle down," called Slughorn lazily from the front of the class without looking up.

Snape turned his back on the group, leaning over his work with a frown. He pulled his textbook towards him, peering at the pages before pushing it away from him. The corner of his book bumped against Lily's causing her to look up at the distraction. Her eyes slowly trailed upon the open pages of his book. Curiously, she noticed that his pages about Draught of Living Death had tiny miniscule writing in the margins and amongst the book text, in his handwriting.

"Erm.." said Lily a moment, pausing as she searched in her head for his name. All she knew him as was Snape, and it sounded so informal. "Severus?" she asked, remembering his first name.

He quickly looked up with a surprised face at the use of his first name.

"What's all that you've done in your book?" she asked politely, gesturing with the tip of her quill.

But Snape quickly pulled the book away from her, throwing her a sharp look as his lips twisted into a malevolent snarl. He placed the book down on the other side of him with a heavy thump, turning his eyes off her and turning back to his work. Lily blinked at the boy's touchy reaction, looking worried for a moment. But just then, Slughorn informed them, they only had fifteen more minutes, and she quickly returned to her work, putting Snape's edited book into the back of her mind.

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Thank you for reading, it'd be a great help if you reviewed! Plus I love to read them.


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